The Effect of Beat Sound on English Rhythm Acquisition:How Are the Brains of Japanese Learners of English (JLE) Activated?

Using electro-encephalography (EEG), brain activation of Japanese learners of English (JLE) was observed when rhythm instruction material (RIM) modified from Jazz Chants and including beat sound was conducted on a treatment group (Beat G.), an another type of RIM not including beat sound was conducted on a contrast group (No-beat G.). During rhythm learning, proficiency in rhythm (PR) was examined, counting how many rhythm patterns the subjects of the experiment repeated correctly after a CD using the following formula: PR = (number of rhythm patterns repeated correctly) / (total number of rhythm patterns in RIM) The results showed that the difference in PR for Beat G. between day1 and day5 was larger than that for No-beat G.These results suggest that beat sound enhances the ability of JLE to learn English rhythm. In the preand post-test, three sets of sentences were read aloud and the duration of inter-stressed intervals (ISIs) in four types of rhythm patterns, including one-four unstressed syllables, and that of each sentence (T), were measured. The results revealed that the difference in ISI /T between pre-test and post-test for Beat G. was significant, while that for No-beat G.was not. This suggests that beat sound enhances the ability of JLE to store stress-timed rhythm patterns in their long term memory more efficiently. During the experiment, brain waves of the JLE were recorded and analyzed. The results revealed that θ wave power recorded at the frontal midline region for Beat G. was significantly correlated to their PR, but no correlation was found in other brain activity. In addition, no correlation between brain wave activity and PR was found for No-beat G. These results suggest that beat sound might enhance English rhythm learning and acquisition, and Fmθ is correlated to rhythm acquisition.